The
best Italian meals I have ever eaten are those that closely resemble
that which was cooked in the home of my paternal Grandmother --
pared-down and thoroughly comforting. This is not to say that I wish to
deny haute cuisine its place in the collective culinary consciousness,
but I firmly believe that, in the context of Italian food, overwrought
variants of old classics are simply redundant. I like to think of the
way my Nona taught me to cook as the culinary equivalent of the Little
Black Dress: simple and always in good taste.

Italian
food relies on few ingredients, with the emphasis on quality. The most
fragrant Ligurian olive oil, the ruddiest tomatoes, the sweetest basil
leaves — these are what constitute good Italian dishes. Generally,
individual portions are never very large, but there will always be a
selection of dishes from which to choose, from platters of antipasti
to hearty mains.

antipasto ideas

Most
often seen as toasted bread piled high with all manner of foodstuffs,
from the basic combination of tomato, cheese and Spanish onion to
artichoke, roasted red peppers and capers, the homespun version of
bruschetta I grew up with consisted of a crusty loaf (perhaps toasted),
drizzled with a good quantity of olive oil. A raw clove of garlic and
then half a tomato werethen rubbed over the bread, followed by a liberal salting and
a little pepper.

A
simple insalata comprised of
sliced tomatoes and bocconcini cheese (also called buffalo mozzarella),
arranged on a plate strewn with some roughly-torn fresh basil leaves (I
was taught to never, ever chop basil), dressed with olive oil, perhaps a
squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper, often makes for a lovely start
(or accompaniment) to a meal, as does prosciutto or Parma ham (sliced
wafer-thin, of course), which is delicious when paired with cantaloupe
or figs. When making up an antipasto platter, I would suggest the bare
minimum; olives, perhaps a salami or mortadella, or a decent portion of
cheese. Grissini (Italian breadsticks) are always a good idea too; no
Italian meal is complete without bread products of some kind.